Sway follower assembly for railway car coupler

ABSTRACT

The sway follower assembly includes a rear follower member and a front follower member. The rear follower member has a forwardly facing vertically oriented concave cylindrical surface. The front follower member has a rearwardly facing convex cylindrical surface engaging the concave surface of the rear follower member, and has a forwardly facing concave surface engaging and interfitting with the butt end of a coupler. The front follower member is arcuately movable within the rear follower member to accommodate lateral swinging movement of the coupler relative to the rear follower member.

Unite States Patent Ray [ Mar. 18, 1975 Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Eranziner-Gene A. Church Attorney, Agei'zt, or FirmJohnson, Dienner, Emrich [75] Inventor: Michael W. Ray, Tmley Park, Ill. & Wagner [73] Assignee: Miner Enterprises, Inc.,Chicago, Ill. 22 Filed: Dec. 3, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT The sway follower assembly includes a rear follower [2]] Appl' 420777 member and a front follower member. The rear follower member has a forwardly facing vertically ori- [52] US. Cl. 213/69 ented concave cylindrical surface. The front follower [51] Int. Cl. B61g 9/00 member has a rearwardly facing convex cylindrical [58] Field of Search 213/62, 64, 67, 69, 72 surface ngaging the concave surface of the rear follower member, and has a forwardly facing concave [56] References Cited surface engaging and interfitting with the butt end of a UNITED STATES PATENTS coupler. The front follower member is arcuately movable within the rear follower member to accommodate l,97l,953 3/l974 Akltt 213/69 lateral g g movement of the coupler reiative to the rear follower member.

5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 40 H 2 I i mvi 36 111 1 [I i ii 5 i/ I 3 I 'l i in 4: rm: '1 i H: .1 I

-..' ---it- .-i-4 :I 8 l i 1 :1 t i l H 1 l -;rt; I '1 1 y I 3 SWAY FOLLOWER ASSEMBLY FOR RAILWAY CAR COUPLER FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sway follower assembly for use generally with a railway car coupler and especially with a A.A.R. standard type F coupler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, railway car structures must be specially designed to receive a sway follower between the butt end of a coupler and a shock absorber actuating member. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sway follower assembly which may be interchangeably used in existing railway car structures, which accommodates greater lateral swinging movement of the coupler-than normally possible, and which serves to adapt a A.A.R. standard type F coupler for use in a railway car structure not otherwise specially designed to receive such a coupler.

In accomplishing this object, a two-part sway follower assembly is interposed between the butt end of a coupler and a shock absorber actuating member. The rear follower member, which engages the shock absorber actuating member, has a forwardly facing vertically oriented concave cylindrical surface. The front follower member has a rearwardly facing convex cylindrical surface engaging the concave surface of the rear follower member, and has a forwardly facing concave surface engaging and interfitting with the butt end of the coupler. Operationally, the front follower member is arcuately movable within the rear follower member and with the coupler to accommodate lateral swinging movement of the latter.

The described sway follower assembly and yoke therefor permits standard couplers to be mounted for optimum lateral swinging movement in existing railway car structures without special modification of. the latter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the front portion of a railway car yoke, the rear portion of a coupler shank, and a sway follower assembly embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the rear follower member of the sway follower assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the front follower member (seated in the rear follower member) of the sway follower assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal median sectional view of the structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical median sectional view of the structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown the front portion of an elongated generally C-shaped yoke 10 having upper and lower forward arms 12 interconnected by vertical side brace portions 13. In a conventional manner, the yoke 10 extends about and longitudinally of a draft gear or similar shock absorber device having a shock absorber actuating member or plunger 14. Also, in a conventional manner, the yoke 10 and associated shock absorber device are cooperatively mounted in the draft gear pocket of a longitudinally extending center sill (not shown) located at one end of a railway car.

Projecting into the yoke 10 betweenthe arms 12 thereof is the rear shank 16 of a A.A.R. standard type F coupler. The coupler is mounted for lateral swinging movement about the vertical axis of a draft key or center pin 18 disposed transversely through the yoke arms 12 and the coupler shank 16. The butt end of the coupler shank 16 is formed with a central convex spherical surface 20 and with side wing surfaces 22.

Arranged between the shock absorber actuating member 14 and the butt end of the coupler shank 16 is the sway follower assembly 24 of the present invention. The sway follower assembly 24 comprises a rear follower or anchor member 26 and a front follower or cup member 28.

The rear follower member 26 (FIGS. 3, 5 and 6) is provided with a rear portion 30 engaging the shock absorber actuating member 14, rear vertical side flanges 32, and a forwardly facing concave cylindrical surface 34. The center of the radius of curvature of the cylindrical surface 34 coincides with the axis of the center pin 18.

The front follower member 28 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) is provided with a rearwardly facing convex cylindrical surface 36 engaging the concave cylindrical surface 34, forwardly projecting upper and lower flanges 38, a forwardly facing bearing surface 40 presenting side portions engagable by the coupler wing surfaces 22, and a forwardly facing concave spherical surface 42 engaged by the coupler convex spherical surface 20. The centers of the radii of curvatures of the cylindrical and spherical surfaces 36 and 42 coincide with the axis of the center pin 18.

Normally, the side portions of the front follower bearing surface 40 are spaced slightly from the coupler wing surfaces 22 as shown in FIG. 1. Operationally, as the coupler shank l6 swings laterally in either direction, one of the coupler Wing surfaces 22 engages the adjacent side portion of the front follower bearing surface 40 and effects conjoint arcuate movement of the front follower member 28 within the rear follower member 26. The limits of permissible lateral swinging movement of the coupler shank 16 are established by the amount of clearance provided between the side brace portions 13 and the coupler shank 16.

The foregoing arrangement specifically disclosed herein serves to accommodate lateral swinging movement of the coupler shank 16 relative to the rear follower member 26 through an arc of approximately 36 between the solid-line and dotted-line positions shown in FIG. 5. This range of allowable lateral swinging movement substantially exceeds the range heretofore possible with a A.A.R. standard type F coupler. Moreover, the sway follower assembly 24 and yoke 10 therefor may be interchangeably employed in existing railway car structures to adapt a standard coupler, including A.A.R. standard type F coupler, for use in such structures without special modification of the latter.

While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various rearrangements and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:

1. For use with the butt end of a coupler pivotally connected for lateral swinging movement to a yoke, a sway follower assembly comprising a rear follower member having a forwardly facing vertically oriented concave cylindrical surface, a front follower member having a rearwardly facing convex cylindrical surface engaging said concave surface of said rear follower member, said front follower member having a forwardly facing concave surface engaging and interfitting with the butt end of the coupler, and said front follower member being arcuately movable within said rear follower member to accommodate lateral swinging movement of the coupler relative to said rear follower member.

2. The sway follower assembly of claim 1 wherein said forwardly facing concave surface of said front follower member is spherical.

3. For use with a yoke having forward arms, a shock absorber actuating member within the confines of the yoke, a coupler shank projecting into the yoke between the arms thereof, a pin disposed vertically through the yoke arms and coupler shank, and the butt end of the coupler shank being formed with a central convex spherical surface and with side wing surfaces, 21 sway follower assembly comprising a rear follower member having a rear portion engaging the shock absorber actuating member, said rear follower member having a forwardly facing vertically oriented concave cylindrical surface, a front follower member having a rearwardly facing convex cylindrical surface engaging said concave surface of said rear follower member, said front follower member having a forwardly facing concave surface engaging and interfitting with the butt end of the coupler shank, and said front follower member being arcuately movable within said rear follower member to accommodate lateral swinging movement of the coupler shank relative to said rear follower me mber.

4. The sway follower assembly of claim 3 wherein said forwardly facing concave surface of said front follower member is spherical and engages the central convex spherical surface of the butt end of the coupler shank.

5. The sway follower assembly of claim 4 wherein said front follower member includes forwardly facing side bearing surface portions engageable by the side wing surfaces of the butt end of the coupler shank. 

1. For use with the butt end of a coupler pivotally connected for lateral swinging movement to a yoke, a sway follower assembly comprising a rear follower member having a forwardly facing vertically oriented concave cylindrical surface, a front follower member having a rearwardly facing convex cylindrical surface engaging said concave surface of said rear follower member, said front follower member having a forwardly facing concave surface engaging and interfitting with the butt end of the coupler, and said front follower member being arcuately movable within said rear follower member to accommodate lateral swinging movement of the coupler relative to said rear Follower member.
 2. The sway follower assembly of claim 1 wherein said forwardly facing concave surface of said front follower member is spherical.
 3. For use with a yoke having forward arms, a shock absorber actuating member within the confines of the yoke, a coupler shank projecting into the yoke between the arms thereof, a pin disposed vertically through the yoke arms and coupler shank, and the butt end of the coupler shank being formed with a central convex spherical surface and with side wing surfaces, a sway follower assembly comprising a rear follower member having a rear portion engaging the shock absorber actuating member, said rear follower member having a forwardly facing vertically oriented concave cylindrical surface, a front follower member having a rearwardly facing convex cylindrical surface engaging said concave surface of said rear follower member, said front follower member having a forwardly facing concave surface engaging and interfitting with the butt end of the coupler shank, and said front follower member being arcuately movable within said rear follower member to accommodate lateral swinging movement of the coupler shank relative to said rear follower member.
 4. The sway follower assembly of claim 3 wherein said forwardly facing concave surface of said front follower member is spherical and engages the central convex spherical surface of the butt end of the coupler shank.
 5. The sway follower assembly of claim 4 wherein said front follower member includes forwardly facing side bearing surface portions engageable by the side wing surfaces of the butt end of the coupler shank. 